• Critics accuse the company of funding "junk science" to refute evidence of climate change due to rising carbon dioxide levels from fossil fuels.

• Exxon's record of toxic spills, human rights abuses, and overall disregard for corporate responsibility principles have earned it a top spot on Green America's list of the world's most egregious corporations.

• Pressure Exxon to face global warming and reform its practices and shift your spending and everyday actions to make a difference using Go Green.

-- Profile Updated 04/11/2011

About ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil engages in oil and gas exploration, production, supply, transportation, and marketing around the world. In 2010, the company proved reserves of over 24.8 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Its 45 refineries have the capacity of producing 6.3 million barrels per day. The company operates over 35,000 service stations in more than 100 countries under the names Exxon, Esso, and Mobil. ExxonMobil also has interests in mining, power generation and coal. In fiscal year 2010, the company reported revenues of $383.221 billion and employed 83,700 people.

Campaigns

Exxpose Exxon

For more than a decade ExxonMobil has undermined national and international efforts to reduce global warming pollution by funding "junk science" to refute climate change…

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For more than a decade ExxonMobil has undermined national and international efforts to reduce global warming pollution by funding "junk science" to refute climate change. The company refuses to invest in renewable energy and is still fighting court-ordered punitive damages for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The Exxpose Exxon campaign--endorsed by groups such as the Alaska Coalition, MoveOn.org, and the Sierra Club--calls on the public to reject ExxonMobil's tactics and pressure it to reform its practices. The campaign is asking drivers to boycott ExxonMobil, asking investors not to buy Exxon stock, and asking job seekers to look to other options. Click on the URL below to take action now.

Campaign ExxonMobil is working to improve ExxonMobil’s corporate behavior and response to global climate change by using the power of shareholders to make an impact…

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Campaign ExxonMobil is working to improve ExxonMobil’s corporate behavior and response to global climate change by using the power of shareholders to make an impact. The campaign focuses heavily on Fidelity and Vanguard mutual fund investors, as both companies list ExxonMobil as a major holding. Mutual fund investors are encouraged to ask Fidelity and Vanguard management to vote in favor of climate change resolutions brought before shareholders.

Exxon-Mobil was ranked the fifth “greenest” oil company out of the top 10 leading US oil corporations by Greenopia in 2011.…

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Exxon-Mobil was ranked the fifth “greenest” oil company out of the top 10 leading US oil corporations by Greenopia in 2011. Exxon publishes a decent sustainability report but the data for oil spill volume is not included. Greenopia also commends Exxon’s relatively low water consumption involved in its oil production and notes that Exxon has had a “very small” number of spills in regards to the volume of its oil production. However, Greenopia criticizes Exxon’s massive production of greenhouse gas emissions, even when scaled to production as Exxon’s is the largest oil company. This year’s emissions are significantly lower than 2008 but Exxon still produces a lot of waste, even when scaled against production. Exxon has been recently accused for a spill in Brooklyn, New York that was larger in the total amount of oil spilled than the Exxon Valdez, as this spill is estimated at 17-30 million gallons versus the Valdez’s 11 million; the spill has been taking place from the 1800s to 1900s and Exxon has not done anything to address it.

In June 2010, Congress assessed the oil spill action plans of the five oil giants of the United States (ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips…

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In June 2010, Congress assessed the oil spill action plans of the five oil giants of the United States (ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Chevron, Shell, BP). All of the plans were written by the same tiny Texas subcontractor and three of them listed the phone number for the same marine science expert who died in 2005. Four plans discussed the need to protect walruses, sea lions and seals, which, as Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass) dryly noted, "have not called the Gulf of Mexico home for 3 million years." All five plans were over 500 pages long each yet used the same reassuring language, yet the House Energy and Commerce Chairman deemed these "cookie-cutter" plans as inadequate and that each of the oil giants would have been as unprepared as BP to a major oil spill such as the one in the gulf.

ExxonMobil was rated as the 2nd worst polluter on the Political Economy Research Institute's Toxic 100 index of 2010.…

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ExxonMobil was rated as the 2nd worst polluter on the Political Economy Research Institute's Toxic 100 index of 2010. The index is based on 2006 EPA Toxics Release Inventory data. PERI's Toxic 100 index ranks the nation's largest companies based on the quantity of their emissions, relative toxicity of chemicals emitted, and proximity to population centers, among other criteria.

A May 2007 report by Greenpeace says that although ExxonMobil has scaled back its funding of groups who deny global warming or dow…

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A May 2007 report by Greenpeace says that although ExxonMobil has scaled back its funding of groups who deny global warming or downplay its importance, it still continues to pour money into a majority of these organizations. Exxon has come under increasing scrutiny and criticism for its support of such groups and it has parted ways with the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), one of the most prominent global warming deniers. From 1998 to 2006 the company funneled nearly $23 million into groups such as CEI, the Heartland Institute, the George C. Marshall Institute, the American Legislative Exchange Council and Frontiers of Freedom. All but CEI received funding in 2006, totaling $420,000.

New York State sues Exxon/Mobil for spilling over an estimated 17 million gallons of fuel underground Brooklyn, NY.…

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New York State sues Exxon/Mobil for spilling over an estimated 17 million gallons of fuel underground Brooklyn, NY. This spill, which occurred over ten years ago, is much bigger than the famous Exxon-Valdez spill which released 11 million gallons of crude oil off the Alaskan Coast from an oil tanker. But this spill was caused by an old refinery’s pump lines hidden 50 feet underneath Brooklyn’s homes and streets. Exxon/Mobil originally accepted responsibility for the spill but clean up has been slow and now officials and residence want to see action. Attorney general, Andrew Cuomo, says "This is one of the worst environmental disasters in the nation, larger than the Exxon Valdez and slower in the cleanup. ExxonMobil must and will be held accountable."

Exxon has been using two water treatment facilities to filter the polluted water into a much cleaner form so they can put it back into the creek. Exxon has also added several oil recovery wells to remove oil from the ground as well. Since the initial efforts in 1979, Exxon has accounted for 6 million of the 9.5 million gallons of oil removed from the water and ground. Chevron and BP have also been accused of polluting the neighborhood and are currently engaging in a similar clean up process. Despite these efforts, skepticism persists as the spill has released toxic vapors in the neighborhood and lawsuits continue as Exxon has the reputation of doing the "bare minimum" to address serious environmental impacts.

Environmental Defense published a list of the organizations that have questioned global warming and climate change to which Exxon …

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Environmental Defense published a list of the organizations that have questioned global warming and climate change to which Exxon funneled money. Exxon has poured millions of dollars into funding "junk science" around the world.

In 2005, Exxon contributed $2.9 million to 39 groups that, according to the Royal Society (UK), misrepresent the science of climat…

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In 2005, Exxon contributed $2.9 million to 39 groups that, according to the Royal Society (UK), misrepresent the science of climate change. The Royal Society issued a letter to Exxon asking the company to end its support of such groups.

Bob Ward of the society wrote: "It is now more crucial than ever that we have a debate which is properly informed by the science. For people to be still producing information that misleads people about climate change is unhelpful. The next [UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climat Change] report should give people the final push that they need to take action and we can't have people trying to undermine it."

Sixteen years after the worst oil spill in US history the effects are still felt.…

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Sixteen years after the worst oil spill in US history the effects are still felt. The US government is seeking an additional $92 million in claims against ExxonMobil for the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster. US agencies and the state of Alaska argue that it will cost much more to clean the remaining environmental damage from the 11 million gallon spill in Prince William Sound. Alaska Attorney General David Marquez said, "After extensive review it is clear that populations and habitat within the oil spill area have suffered substantial and unanticipated injuries that are attributable to the Exxon Valdez oil spill." A settlement from 1991 required the company to pay $900 million; however, the case included a provision allowing the government to pursue as much as $100 million more for additional unforeseen damages. Exxon spokesman Mark Boudreax said "There is no scientific evidence that this oil ... could cause damage to any population or species."

As part of a campaign to discredit evidence of the threats posed by global climate change, the conservative nonprofit think tank C…

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As part of a campaign to discredit evidence of the threats posed by global climate change, the conservative nonprofit think tank Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released two television ads defending carbon as a benign part of the natural environment. The ads end with the tagline "Carbon dioxide: they call it pollution; we call it life," and suggest that the effects of global warming are simply concocted by alarmists. CEI has received funding from companies including ExxonMobil, Ford, and General Motors.

In a settlement with the federal government and three southern states over the company’s failure to adequately observe Clean Air A…

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In a settlement with the federal government and three southern states over the company’s failure to adequately observe Clean Air Act provisions, Exxon Mobile will install new pollution controls at seven of its oil refineries, a move that will cost approximately $571 million. Exxon’s unlawful polluting has resulted in additional fines of $8.7 million, and a requirement that the company invest $9.7 million in environmental projects near its refineries, such as a coastal habitat restoration project in Louisiana.

ExxonMobil confirmed that its greenhouse gas emissions rose two percent in 2003 to 135.6 million tons.…

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ExxonMobil confirmed that its greenhouse gas emissions rose two percent in 2003 to 135.6 million tons. Exxon’s worsening emissions may be caused, in part, by an increase of flaring of gas in Nigeria. Flaring, which is illegal in most countries, is when natural gas is extracted simultaneously with oil and burned off straight into the atmosphere. Exxon's emissions are more than 50 percent higher than their closest competitor's, despite only a slightly larger production of oil and gas.

Exxon was able to resist a bevy of green initiatives at its annual shareholder meeting in 2008 in Dallas, Texas.…

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Exxon was able to resist a bevy of green initiatives at its annual shareholder meeting in 2008 in Dallas, Texas. Led by the billionaire Rockefeller family, a group of investors lobbied hard for shareholder resolutions that would appoint an independent climate change chairman to the board, limit the oil giant’s greenhouse gas emissions, and increase support for renewable energy.

Exxon Mobil has been given one final chance to escape paying the punitive damages awarded by a jury in 1994 to a group of 33,000 A…

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Exxon Mobil has been given one final chance to escape paying the punitive damages awarded by a jury in 1994 to a group of 33,000 Alaskans whose communities and livelihoods were damaged when the Exxon Valdez ran aground and filled the waters surrounding their homes and fisheries with oil. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Exxon’s claims that punitive damages are not provided for by maritime law and the Clean Water Act, and additionally, that the award is excessive. ExxonMobil has already succeeded in whittling the damages down from the original $5 billion dollars awarded by the jury to $2.5 billion, although this still constitutes the largest punitive damages decision ever awarded.

In 2008, the Supreme Court reduced Exxon's fine to only about $500 million, after nearly 20 years of litigation since the incident. However, as of 2010, Exxon has only paid $383 million of the fine and continues to stall the payment by fighting the fine. Exxon is adamant about aiding the local fishermen and small businesses that have lost their livelihoods due to the spill, yet the company reported a net income of $7.56 billion in solely the second quarter of 2010.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) determined that ExxonMobil Corporation did not provide sufficient information on thei…

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) determined that ExxonMobil Corporation did not provide sufficient information on their operations to satisfy investor concerns, after Green Century Capital Management filed a shareholder proposal requesting increased disclosure on its oil sands operations. Green Century was inquiring about ExxonMobil’s controversial investments in the Canadian oil sands, the second largest oil resource in the world, with over 173 billion barrels in reserves. However, extraction and conversion of these sands is energy intensive and environmentally damaging as it requires clear cutting of the Boreal forest, extensive water use and the production of toxic waste. The economic viability of this resource remains uncertain as it requires costly extraction and conversion processes, paired with rising carbon costs, environmental regulations and unstable oil prices.

Exxon-Mobil reported a $9.25 billion profit for its fourth-quarter 2010; this is a 53% percent increase from the same period a yea…

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Exxon-Mobil reported a $9.25 billion profit for its fourth-quarter 2010; this is a 53% percent increase from the same period a year ago. This increase is due to the improving world economy, increased energy demand and oil prices, due to the political turmoil in the Middle East. However, the results do not equal the record profits set a couple years ago when oil and gas prices were much higher than now.

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Eighty-five percent of Fortune 500 companies and 98 percent of Fortune 100 companies have anti-discrimination policies which prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. ExxonMobil has repeatedly refused to adopt such a policy and continues to ignores shareholder requests to adopt one, saying that its current policy is "good enough."

As of 2010, the Human Rights Campaign continues to criticize the company as it is the "only U.S. employer that has ever rescinded both a non-discrimination policy covering sexual orientation and domestic partner benefits, and is the only Fortune 10 company that does not have a non-discrimination policy covering sexual orientation."

In January 2004, PETA initiated a letter-writing campaign against ExxonMobil, one of the 2004 sponsors of Alaska’s Iditarod dog sl…

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In January 2004, PETA initiated a letter-writing campaign against ExxonMobil, one of the 2004 sponsors of Alaska’s Iditarod dog sled race, urging the company to withdraw its sponsorship of the event based upon the cruel treatment of sledding dogs. PETA has claimed that of the hundreds of dogs abused and exploited during the 1,000+ mile trek, several die annually from "sudden death syndrome" (which often means they were run to death by mushers). Furthermore, PETA has claimed that puppies labeled poor runners by breeders are usually killed by bludgeoning or drowning.

ExxonMobil received a score of 0 on the Human Rights Campaign 2009 Corporate Equality Index which rates large corporations on poli…

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ExxonMobil received a score of 0 on the Human Rights Campaign 2009 Corporate Equality Index which rates large corporations on policies that affect their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors. The HRC Corporate Equality Index rates companies on a scale of 0 to 100 percent.

In the second quarter of fiscal 2006, ExxonMobil raked in $10.4 billion--the second highest amount ever earned by a company in a f…

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In the second quarter of fiscal 2006, ExxonMobil raked in $10.4 billion--the second highest amount ever earned by a company in a financial quarter--which breaks down to $1,318 a second. The highest amount ever earned in a quarter is the $10.7 billion brought in during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2005 by the world's largest publicly traded company--ExxonMobil.

According to the Social Investment Research Analyst Network, ten years after the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission recommended disc…

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According to the Social Investment Research Analyst Network, ten years after the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission recommended disclosure of diversity data as a way to remove barriers and promote women and minority advancement, most US companies still fail to fully disclose EEO data to the public. ExxonMobil is listed as one of the companies that does not provide full public disclosure. Rather, disclosure of EEO data is made available upon request.

According to the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR), internal memos from Mobil, Chevron and Texaco showed that the…

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According to the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR), internal memos from Mobil, Chevron and Texaco showed that the companies knowingly reduced their refining capabilities in order to drive gas prices up and undertook calculated efforts to shut out independent processors. The memos implicate the American Petroleum Institute as having advised major oil conglomerates to withhold product from the market in order to increase profits.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) received a memorandum from the White House Coun…

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Under the Freedom of Information Act, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) received a memorandum from the White House Council on Environmental Quality detailing plans to remove a top scientist from an international panel that provides policymakers with global warming assessments. The document detailed ExxonMobil's confidential campaign to remove Dr. Robert Watson from his chair on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a position he had held since 1996. The NRDC reports that the campaign began in the first weeks of the Bush Administration, and that the memo "reveals ExxonMobil's intention to replace Watson and other key scientists with contrarians known for disagreeing with the prevailing consensus that man-made pollution is causing global warming." The administration has since decided to oppose Watson's appointment to a second term as chair.

After a drawn-out appeals process, the Khulumani Support Group has won the right to have its case against more than 20 western com…

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After a drawn-out appeals process, the Khulumani Support Group has won the right to have its case against more than 20 western companies heard in New York district court. The Khulumani Group originally brought suit in the name of thousands of survivors and victims of the South African apartheid regime, claiming in 2002 that not only had the accused companies profited from the apartheid system, but had been directly involved in propping up the regime. The New York circuit court of appeal overturned a lower court ruling that dismissed the case, meaning that some of the most profitable companies in the world will have to confront allegations that they have been complicit in horrendous violations of human rights. Among the defendants are banking powerhouses Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase, automakers Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and General Motors, oil companies BP, ExxonMobil, Shell Petroleum, Chevron and finally, technology giant IBM.

In 2007, the World Bank ordered an Exxon-led consortium to fully compensate farmers in southern Chad who lost their land and livel…

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In 2007, the World Bank ordered an Exxon-led consortium to fully compensate farmers in southern Chad who lost their land and livelihoods as the oil company expanded its search for oil in the country. The International Finance Corporation, a branch of the World Bank, ordered increased compensation after an independent survey found that Exxon’s new oil drilling and exploration was destroying the farmers’ land. According to the survey, 12,000 people lost between 20 percent to all use of their land. The report also found that Exxon had seriously underestimated the number of families that would lose use of their land.

In March 2006, U.S. District Judge Louis Oberdorfer issued a ruling allowing a case against ExxonMobil, brought by the Internation…

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In March 2006, U.S. District Judge Louis Oberdorfer issued a ruling allowing a case against ExxonMobil, brought by the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF), to go forward. In June 2001, the International Labor Rights Fund sued ExxonMobil in federal court claiming the company remained complicit in human rights abuses committed by state security forces at a gas field in Indonesia. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of 11 villagers in Aceh who allege that the Indonesian military security unit used by ExxonMobil has committed acts of murder, torture, kidnapping, and rape against them and their families. The also suit claims that Exxon Mobil provided facilities where the military tortured detainees and lent heavy equipment like excavators used to dig mass graves. Exxon temporarily halted operation in Aceh in early 2001, after several armed attacks against commuting employees of the plant.

In 2002 ExxonMobil lawyers asked the US State Department to intervene claiming the lawsuit could upset delicate relations with the largest Muslim country in the world and compromise the US war on terrorism. The State Department supported the company's call for dismissal of the suit saying the trial could interfere with U.S. diplomatic initiatives, including counterterrorism.

Subsahara TCC, a sub-contracting company working for ESSO, which belongs to the oil consortium headed by ExxonMobil, illegally pre…

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Subsahara TCC, a sub-contracting company working for ESSO, which belongs to the oil consortium headed by ExxonMobil, illegally pressured workers to put in overtime to complete construction on a pipeline in Cameroon one year ahead of schedule. Thus far the company has refused to pay the overtime owed to 4,000 workers on the site. In May 2005, Subsahara TCC was ordered to pay its former employees due compensation; however, the company refused to pay and obtained a deferment through what some suspect to were corrupt means. During a worker sit-in, an armed intervention left two people dead, three people with serious injuries and a further thirty or so under arrest. The ICFTU was informed that several workers belonging to trade unions were further pursued, even back to their homes.

ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and BP, as well as a handful of other exploration and pipeline companies are being charged in a class-…

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ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and BP, as well as a handful of other exploration and pipeline companies are being charged in a class-action lawsuit filed weeks after Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of southern Louisiana. The class-action case faults oil and exploration companies for heightening the level of ruin caused by the hurricane. Plaintiffs claim that in efforts to uncover oil and natural gas, these companies indiscriminately and irresponsibly dredged the coastal wetlands of Louisiana, which serve as a critical natural buffer against storm surges and flooding. The case was filed on behalf of all Hurricane Katrina survivors. The lawsuit was initially rejected by a district court when it was first filed in 2005 but in 2010, several federal appeals court judges agreed that the case could be heard, eventually agreeing to set a hearing date and decide whether the case can progress by the end of the year.

According to a 2004 CorpWatch article, British Columbia’s newly thriving oil and gas industry, headlined by large multinationals s…

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According to a 2004 CorpWatch article, British Columbia’s newly thriving oil and gas industry, headlined by large multinationals such as ExxonMobil, has led to elevated health and safety concerns for oil workers and citizens of the province. Presently, under Canadian law, sour gas wells can be drilled within a hundred meters of private homes, said a staff lawyer for West Coast Environmental Law. According to CorpWatch, between 2002 and 2004, at least two workers died from sour gas exposure in the BC Peace River region. The Workers Compensation Board, however, estimates the number of deaths to be four to five a year.

In June 2003, Global Exchange cited ExxonMobil’s construction project on a new African pipeline as a potential impetus for the spr…

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In June 2003, Global Exchange cited ExxonMobil’s construction project on a new African pipeline as a potential impetus for the spread of HIV in Chad. As of 2003, Chad's isolation from other African nations had contributed to the country's low HIV infection rate—roughly one third of the average rate for a Sub-Saharan nation. Activists, who have urged ExxonMobil to treat pipeline employees found to be HIV-infected, claimed that the company's health care and awareness initiatives were minimal. Citing that the cost of such measures would have been prohibitive, the company allegedly stated its position: ExxonMobil was sharing oil revenue with Chad and health care was the government's responsibility.

-- Los Angles Times, 06/18/2003

Source URL: none available

In July 2001, the Australian Victorian Supreme Court fined ExxonMobil affiliate Esso $1 million after finding the company guilty …

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In July 2001, the Australian Victorian Supreme Court fined ExxonMobil affiliate Esso $1 million after finding the company guilty of 11 criminal charges involving a 1998 explosion that killed two workers at a refinery in Victoria. The company pleaded not guilty to the charges despite the findings of a royal commission in June 1999 that blamed Esso's poor staff training, operating, and safety procedures. The fine was the largest ever imposed in Australia in a health and safety case.